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Dear podiatrist,

Since two years now, I’m working as a sport osteopath. During this period, I have seen through various experiences the importance of treating the foot for all sorts of complaints, therefore the treatment of this area is an important part of my treatment strategy. With the foot, I means everything of the forefoot, midfoot, subtalar joint, talocrural joint and the tibiofibular joint.

In order to highlight this interest to more osteopaths, I want to carry out a study among athletes with an acute lateral ankle sprain (LAS) or with a chronic ankle instability (CAI). I want to test if we, by means of an osteopathic treatment, can improve the body balance which is disrupted due to the ankle injury. This treatment should finally prevent further injuries. Holism is an important principle in osteopathy, so the treatment will comply with this, but the local treatment of the foot will also be an important part.

During our education, we have always seen that the LAS is accompanied by a plantar flexion, I have found an article during my literature study that claims that during the trauma, we get a dorsiflexion of the foot (Tik-Pui Fong et al., 2009). That's why I want to appeal to your experiences as specialists of the foot and the ankle.

From your experiences in your practice, what are the structures that are most commonly in dysfunction after a LAS or during a CAI? I’m talking about all the articular, fascial and muscular structures of the leg.

Thank you for your feedback.

Kind regards,
Angelique V.

Reference:
Tik-Pui Fong, D., Hong, Y., Shima, Y., Krosshaug, T., Shu-Hang Yung, P., Chan, K., 2009. Biomechanics of Supination Ankle Sprain. Am. J. Sports Med. 37, 822–827.